Tales From Hogwarts
by Strumwulf
Summary: Short scenes and one-shots involving Harry and his friends, and enemies. A look at a scene from Year 7.
1. Breaking the Defenses

Breaking the Defenses

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the creation of JKR.

Headmaster's Office, Nov 1st

Fred and George are sprawled across the chairs they have chosen to sit in. Dumbledore is sitting behind his desk, while the Heads of Houses are standing behind him.

"Do you boy's realize what could have happen to you?" Dumbledore asked.

"Well you did say that we would die horrible death," Fred said,

"But we didn't see anything down there that could stop a first year," George added.

"If they kept their wits about them." Fred continued.

"What did you expect to us find?" the twins said together.

"Why don't you tell us how you got through the defenses?" Minerva ordered.

"Ok, Professor. First we made sure that no one else was near the entrance. The door was easy, I used an Alohomora to open it. Fluffy, we just levitated. The devil's snare, we slipped through. The room with the keys though, that took a little time, ended up picking the lock. We flew over the chest board. The troll was asleep when we went by. Used the flame-freezing charm to get through that last portal. The mirror is nice touch, but you might want to clean it up. The guys who got there before us, left their names on it." The twins volleyed back and forth.

"What do you mean others?" growled Snape.

"You don't know?" Fred asked looking shocked. "Do you think we should tell them, brother mine?"

"I think we should, brother dear. Snape's got that eyebrow twitch starting." George replied.

"True, Forge. Wouldn't want that to go on to long." Fred said

"Right, Gred. Well, there was Keith and his friends." George boomeranged.

"I think Allura went with them, too. Then Holmes and Watson." Fred snapped back.

"Of course, Lotor had a go, and that guy Jeff from Hufflepuff that always fighting with Keith, took a group down as well." George slipped in.

"I'm sure there are others, but that's all the names we saw, before we decided to head back up." Fred finished off.


	2. The Apology

The Apology

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JKR. I'm only borrowing them for a bit.

Minerva sat down at her desk with a sigh. It had been a long night, and appeared it would be longer yet, as she opened a drawer in her desk and pulled a shifter and bottle of good Scottish Whiskey, and poured herself a a couple of thumbs. She quickly downed the glass, and refilled it to the brim, then sat back, and contemplated the events of the night and what had lead up to this point.

Voldemort had been possessing one of her fellow teachers for an entire year, and she hadn't even suspected.  
The man develops a stutter and takes to wearing a turban, and she buys the story that he had a bad experience with a vampire. Like a vampire would be much of a threat to an experienced troll wrangler. Not only did he almost take the Philospher's Stone, 2 of her lions had been injured, with the 3rd quite distraught over the pair,  
trying to stop him. Thinking back of the year, Minerva remembered a couple of other incidents, that should have alerted her that something was wrong in her school, much less the fact that Albus had brought the stone here, and practically taunted the student body to find out what was hiding in the school. A troll getting into the school should have been a big warning, but for a man known for his talent with trolls, to just stumble into the Great Hall, announce that a troll is in the dungeon, then faint, should have tripped every alarm in her head, that something was wrong. Not to mention the quidditch match, where Harry had the problems with his broom. It was only through the quick thinking of Severus and Ms. Granger, that Harry survived the match. She really wondered at times what went through that boy's head, one minute he's cursing Harry's very existence, and the next fighting to save the boy's life.

Looking back over the year, she wondered when had she actually talked to any of the students, outside of class, or assigning detention or taking points. Oh, she had talked to prefects and the head boy and girl in the performance of their duties, but what else? Had she been spending to much time as the Deputy Headmistress, and not enough as the Head of Gryfindor? Had she even done her duties as Head of Gryfindor? She didn't talk to the second years about their class choices for the next year, and rushed through the fifth year career interviews. In previous years, she had meet with all the First Years within days of their arrival, but this year she had let the prefects take care of them. Because Albus had suggested that they needed to maintain a proper distance from Harry. Of course, a suggestion from Albus is more of an order and her Lions have suffered for it. She knew nothing of her students outside of their performance in class. If more events like this night occured, and with Harry's presence in the school, it was more than likely. She needed to take a more direct interest in what her children were up to. Albus would have to find someone else to pass the details of running the school off on to. With that thought in mind, Minerva drained her glass, wrote a couple of letters, and headed out the door.

Infirmary, later that night

Minerva opened the door to the infirmary and smiled as she saw that Hermoine was curled up on the end of Harry's bed with Harry sitting next to her, and gently brushing her hair, while Ron was snoring away in the next bed.

"Professor McGongall, what are you doing here?" asked a startled Harry.

"I came to talk to you and your friends, Mr. Potter." Minerva said. "I've had a series of revelations tonight, and I find myself in a strange position."

"What position is that, Professor?" asked Hermoine. "And don't stop Harry, it's nice." She added as Harry pulled back from Hermoine, as he realized that she had been awake most of the time, he had been brushing her hair.

"If you'll wake your compatriot, I'll tell you." Minerva added.

Hermoine uncurled from her position next to Harry, drew her wand and cast a tickling charm at Ron.

"Huh, what's going on?" Ron blurted out as we woke up.

"Professor McGongall wants to talk to us, Ron." Hermoine said as she sat up.

"Oh, OK." Ron yawned.

"First, I must apologize for dismissing your concerns about the safety of the Philospher's Stone. The very fact that you knew about its being in the castle, and that someone was going after it should have been enough for me to at least check on it." Minerva said.

"You don't need to apologize to us, Professor. You were doing what you thought was right." Hermoine said.

"Ms. Granger, thank you for the vote of confidence, but I was wrong and you three ended up putting your lives in danger because of it. My job is to teach you and protect you from danger while you are at this school. Just like your parents should protect you from harm, while you are at home." Minerva said as she sat down on one of the other beds. "I'm going to tell you something most people never learn. Just because a person holds a postion of authority, does not mean that they are right. You must decide for yourself, if a person is worth following, and how far you are willing to follow them."

"But my parents always told me to respect authority."

"Respecting authority is important, Ms. Granger. Otherwise, society would not function. But, you must be careful of blindly following authority. You've read about the events of last World War, haven't you?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"One of the many things that the German soldiers said, especially those at the Death Camps, was that they were just following orders, as they helped put millions of people to death for not being 'Aryan'. The Allies said that was not an excuse, and some orders should not and can not be followed."

"Oh, thank you, Professor."

"Anyway, we have had enough serious talk for the night. I have a favor to ask though."

"Anything, Professor" replied Harry.

"Tell me about your school year and how you found out about the stone?"

"Of course, Professor"

"Very well, let me arrange for some refreshments then. Timmy, can you bring some milk and biscuits?"

A second later a small table with a tray of milk and biscuits appear next to Harry bed, and after the group each had a glass and some biscuits, our intrepid heros starting telling Minerva about how their school year had gone. 


	3. The Kiss

As Harry dragged himself off the field with the golden egg in one hand and his broom in the other, Hermoine was trying to squeeze through the crowd to get to him, shoutng his name the whole time. Making no progress getting through the mass of students, teachers, and various on-lookers, Hermoine casts a charm on herself and jumps off the stand and onto the field, from there she broke into a run.

Hearing Hermoine call his name, Harry turned to see who was calling his name. As he did so, Hermoine tripped over one of the many pieces of rubble littering the field. Harry dropped the egg, slung himself on the broom and caught Hermoine before she hit the ground. The pair then tumbled off the broom, and rolled a couple of times before coming to a stop with Hermoine on top, and their lips pressed together. They seperated briefly to catch a breath, and then with a looked that asked a question and returned an answer, they started to kiss each other properly.


	4. Birds of a Feather

Bellatrix looked down at Mulciber strapped down to the bed in his house. He was completely naked, and Bellatrix could see numerous fresh cuts and burns covering his body. Blood, urine and feces covered the sheets, he laid on. In addition, someone had also apparently broken every bone in his hands and feet. Leaning down so she could whisper in his ear, Bellatrix cooed, "Who did this to you, Mulci-darling? What did they ask?

What did you tell them?"

Mulciber replied with a ragged whisper in between bloody coughs, "It was the mudblood. The one that hangs around Potter."

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it? What else, Mulci?" Bellatrix asked as she softly stroked one of his checks.

"She wanted to know where the Dark Lord was, and asked about Horcuxes. Always asking about the Horcruxes. It hurts so much, how did she cause such pain?"

"She had a good teacher, Mulciber." Bellatrix said harshly as placed a hand on one of the open wounds. "Let me show you."

Bellatrix pressed on the wound, and Mulciber screamed. "What did you tell her? Tell me and I'll stop the pain."

"She knows where the Dark Lord is. I couldn't answer her other questions. I tried, but I didn't know what she wanted."

"Thank you, dear Mulciber. That's what I wanted to know." Bellatrix said in soft cooing voice. Standing up and straightening her robes, Bellatrix glared at Mulciber and spoke with cold tone. "You have failed our Lord, it's time to finish your punishment. Don't worry about your family, I will deal with them soon enough. Now this should keep you from getting too hot." Bellatrix passed her wand over Mulciber, then turned and walked out of the room trailing her wand along the walls, leaving behind a line of blue flame.

Standing outside the Mulciber house watching it burn, Bellatrix whispered to herself, "My little chickadee remembers and wants to play. Well, lets not disappoint her." She cocked her to the side, as if listening to something, then cast the Dark Mark above the burning house, then shifted into the form of a large raven and disappeared into the night sky.


End file.
